Brand New Cleaner Shrimp Eaten

[JaihWill]

As you can see from the attached video, my brand new $30 cleaner shrimp has become dinner in less than 4 hours. I slowly watched as my Nassarius Snail rose from the dead and ambushed the healthy well acclimated shrimp. Is this normal?


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[j_mazzy]

Never seen them attack live anything

 

[JaihWill]

Everything I've read or even asked about says they should get along. Especially since I have a mandarin who always sleeps on the open sand bed.


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[JaihWill]

After researching I believe I now have a Whelks snail and not Nassarius. If anyone can confirm via the video that'd be great


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[Ron Reefman]

I didn't think that was a Nassarius snail in your video, but it's kind of a small image and I wasn't sure. It could be some kind of Welk but I'd like to see an better image of it. Welks are Carnivores, but IMHO, shouldn't be able to capture a healthy shrimp.

Are you 100% sure there isn't a hermit crab inside that shell. Now that could catch a healthy shrimp and eat it.

 

[JaihWill]

I didn't think that was a Nassarius snail in your video, but it's kind of a small image and I wasn't sure. It could be some kind of Welk but I'd like to see an better image of it. Welks are Carnivores, but IMHO, shouldn't be able to capture a healthy shrimp.

Are you 100% sure there isn't a hermit crab inside that shell. Now that could catch a healthy shrimp and eat it.

It's definitely a big shell rotating snail, that lives in the sand bed. I'll have to upload a pic


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[pagojoe]

It's a Babylonia, not a Nassarius, although they are often sold as Nassarius. They were moved from the whelk family to their own family a few years ago, but they are still essentially whelks. Most of the time they scavenge, but they are capable of killing their own food.

Cheers,



Don

 

[j_mazzy]

Babylonian Snails - This cream and brown spotted snail makes an attractive addition to the tank, but are predatory and feed on bivalves and other snails. They are often mislabeled and sold as "Fancy Nassarius", or "Speckled Nassarius" snails, but they are not related to Nassarius spp. and are not safe for the reef aquarium - by reefcleaners

other forums: Babylonia spirata

As some others noted, they are primarily scavengers, but always carnivores. There are several documented cases of the species attacking and killing snails after they are added to a tank where the Babylonia has been living, as well as cases of them killing newly-introduced tridacnids,